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Post by Fawn on Jul 1, 2016 13:14:30 GMT -5
⇒Medicine Cat of LightningClan⇐
Rookfrost was the first to arrive. This gave him ample time to wish ill upon all the other healers of the forest who had yet to make an appearance; he had very little interest in whatever it was that prevented the various medicine cats from assembling punctually. However, Rookfrost was able to draw morbid satisfaction from the slim possibility that the lynx in the mountains, Demon as the others called him, had made his rounds and promptly eaten them all.
Oh, how satisfying that would be.
He wouldn't have to attend another accursed meeting, or lie down beneath a 'magic tree' and wait for the spirits of his ancestors to talk to him. Rookfrost did not believe; he had yet to see irrefutable proof of their existence beyond the nonsense the other healers babbled from time to time, and he preferred to consider that no more than a religious fever from cats who dreamed peculiar dreams.
Rookfrost did not dream. Not here. When he laid beneath the Moon Tree, no dreams found him in the gloomy cavern, no nightmares, no whispers of cats long past. He expected to see and hear nothing, so he dreamed of nothing. It was a system that had worked for him thus far, and Rookfrost had no interest in breaking it.
Like a gargoyle on the side of a two-leg building, Rookfrost sat outside the entrance to the Moon Tree with all the eerie stillness of a petrified stump. His expression was equally unfriendly, as the heartbeats stretched into minutes, and he saw no sign of his peers, or scented them on the wind. The longer they took to get here, the more violent their deaths were becoming to the healer; he yawned, and even that small, normal motion seemed off-kilter on his muzzle. Mechanical and deliberate, as if not even his normal bodily functions and reactions were done without his permission.
Littletimber was presently having all 244 of his bones broken under the weight of a spruce bough dropping from on high, when Rookfrost spied the first newcomer walking up the mountainside. At last.
Stirring minimally, Rookfrost remembered himself and kept his tail from lashing with the force of his impatience. "Never be late, Kindleflare." He intoned to the apprentice he had brought with him. "There is nothing more abominable than a cat that makes me wait."
She was young, still malleable. Rookfrost would shape her into the ideal apprentice, and the first step in doing so would be teaching her what not to do. Her fear of him would keep her mind sharp; Kindleflare did not have much choice in that regard. He would not train a dunce. He would not waste his time with someone who had the retention of a minnow.
As the newcomer approached, Rookfrost greeted them with a curt, business-like nod.
No wealth no ruin no silver no gold. Nothing satisfies me but your soul.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 20:48:45 GMT -5
So let go, let go, jump in. Oh well, what you waiting for?
After spending the day collecting herbs with her daughter, Dawnblossom had asked her sisters to act as her escort to the Moon Tree that night before taking a nap so she would be well rested for the trip up into the mountains. She was surprisingly eager to see Smokefur again; the NightClan medicine cat was quite pleasant despite the rest of her Clan's reputation. She woke to Duskflower lapping her between the ears and purring. Blinking awake, she looked up at her sister's dark shape standing over her.
“It's almost time to go Sleepyblossom,” she giggled softly, and Dawnblossom could see that past her sister, night had fallen over the valley, “Don't worry, the sun JUST went down. You won't be late.”
Pushing to her paws, she shook out her fur and purred, rubbing her cheek against Duskflower's affectionately, “Thank you.” Duskflower turned, padding from the den, and Dawnblossom followed after her. Darkviper waited outside for them both, sitting patiently with her tail curled around her paws. Dawnblossom nodded to her, “I'm ready to go, thank you for waking me. I suppose I was more tired than I thought.” Darkviper only nodded, standing and flicking her tail dismissively. It felt good to be with her sisters, it put her at ease.
Duskflower brushed against her, purring once more, “C'mon then, silly.”
Dawnblossom purred back, “Right.” She led the way out of camp, her sisters close behind her, close enough that she knew if she whisked her tail wide enough she would be able to touch them. It felt a little strange to be leading them, Darkviper had always played the leader, but they didn't seem at all bothered by it and that made it easier. Duskflower chattered most of the way up into the mountains about nothing and everything while Darkviper listened silently. Dawnblossom chuckled on occasion, when Duskflower told them about something amusing that had happened to her in the last few days. Finally the entrance to the Moon Tree cavern was in sight, which made Dawnblossom pause as she spotted the dark shape already waiting there, her fur prickling uneasily.
Darkviper brushed against her side, her eyes narrowed at the ebony medicine cat in a silent threat. Dawnblossom drew in a deep breath and flicked her tail against her sister's flank, “It's all right.” She stepped forward with all the confidence she could muster and took her place a short distance from Rookfrost and his apprentice, returning his nod with one of her own. She curled her tail tightly around her paws to keep it from betraying her unease and awaited the arrival of the other medicine cats, casting her gaze back toward where her sisters had settled themselves.
It's all right, 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown.
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Post by Insidious on Jul 1, 2016 23:10:12 GMT -5
The medicine cat apprentice walked a fair distance ahead of her escorts, Lichenfrost and Sprucefur, wanting to make sure the sibling pair had ample time to talk with one another. She knew how much she had treasured those moments, and now that her sisters were gone (a miserable truth she was coming to terms with at her own pace) she tried to make time for siblings she knew could use it. Lichenfrost had a bit of a mouth on her, and it was fairly obvious from her social mannerisms alone that she wasn’t fond of all the time her brother spent with Feathercloud. Her ears were pinned against the top of her head, nonchalantly eavesdropping every once in a while; it didn’t sound like the two of them were fighting, and that did more than enough to please her.
Littletimber had fallen ill, and he was nowhere near well enough to travel to the Moon Tree. It had disheartened his apprentice, if only a little, knowing her own mentor wouldn’t be the one to complete her ceremony. Nonetheless, she did everything she could to keep her spirits high. It was an honour to be a medicine cat’s apprentice, and she finally felt like she in a good place; she would be happy no matter who it was that aided her in the completion of her ceremony.
She could make out two cats a small distance ahead, but it didn’t bother her any knowing she wasn’t the first to arrive. This had been her first trip to the Moon Tree, and that she had done it without Littletimber was impressive on its own. Pausing, she turned towards her escorts, exchanging a word of gratitude with each of them privately. She appreciated the two of them being here more than she could express in words. The journey was tiresome, that being an understatement, but neither of them seemed overly displeased by their participation.
Bluejay inclined her head to Rookfrost, the LightningClan medicine cat, knowing better than to try and strike a conversation with him—his apprentice, however, was someone she wasn’t familiar with, and she opted to greet the she-cat with a friendly smile. She didn’t seem very… comfortable. A part of her was driven to ease whatever anxieties plagued her, but she had an itching suspicion that it had something to do with her creepy mentor. Deciding to leave it be, if only briefly, she took a seat next to Dawnblossom. She hadn’t been formally announced as Littletimber’s apprentice. It was supposed to happen this evening, but due to his sudden illness, she would have to make due on her own. She would’ve liked to introduce herself right then and there, but it was proper to wait for the rest of the medicine cat’s to arrive—so she believed—and it would be better to wait until everyone was here in case she had to make more than one introduction.
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| Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jul 3, 2016 16:19:36 GMT -5
 Kindleflare had never quite understood the meaning behind the saying 'the silence was deafening'. Sitting as she was, seated beside Rookfrost with no other cat in sight, the ginger and white she-cat caught an inkling of the truth behind the statement. Though... She didn't quite agree with it. To her, it wasn't the silence itself that deafened. Suffocated her, maybe. But deafened? Oh no, the culprit behind her inability to hear was something different entirely. At her mentor's side, barely daring to breathe, the sounds of her surroundings were almost entirely drowned out by the hammering of her own heartbeat.
It thundered in her ears, and she could hear the accompanying roar of her blood. She desperately wanted to fidget, anything to funnel the discomfort she was feeling into something, but she didn't dare move. Instead, she kept her wide eyes trained on her paws, silently chanting a reminder to herself to keep her claws safely in their sheaths. Otherwise, she knew they would begin to flex in and out of her paws, another attempt at dispelling the unease that roiled in her belly. StarClan above, she could almost swear that being apprenticed to Rookfrost was clawing moons off of her lifespan, from stress alone.
She wouldn't have to endure this forever. ... R-Right? She was younger by several moons. Surely she would outlive Rookfrost, and take over as medicine cat of LightningClan? Surely she wouldn't have to live her entire life with the black spectre-like tom's bleak gaze affixed to her? Before she could spend much longer antagonizing herself (again) with the potential immortality of her current mentor, the very same tom shattered the silence with his characteristically uninterested voice. The sudden sound caused her head to snap up, her entire body coming to attention to listen to the tom's voice.
As soon as the tom finished his eerie advice, the timid she-cat gave a sharp nod of her head, before stumbling over her words slightly and successfully activating her voice. "Y-Yes R-Rookfrost, o-of co-ourse..!" Desperately carving that into her mental list of 'Guidelines to not piss off Rookfrost', the apprentice did what she could to steady her breath and her nerves. It was here that her ears picked up on the sound of someone's approach. Just as Kindleflare mentally added one tally to her list of times Rookfrost called her by name, she looked up to find a she-cat she registered as StoneClan's medicine cat.
The StoneClan she-cat, surprisingly, seemed to be extremely closer to her age. Should she be embarrassed? It didn't really matter that she was likely only slightly younger and still an apprentice. She'd gone through normal apprenticeship first; she was just late to the party. The scent of TreeClan hit her next, drawing her gaze away from the seated she-cat. A gray she-cat with blue eyes approached, rather than the small (and somewhat strange) cat she expected to see. Alarm flashed over Kindleflare's features as the other she-cat smiled at her. Scrambling to return the smile, the LightningClan medicine cat apprentice managed an awkward little grin with her ears nearly plastered to her head.
Immediately dropped her eyes to her paws, she could feel her pelt heating up in embarrassment. G-Great... N-Now you l-look like an id-diot... Congrat-tulations, Kindlef-flare.  |
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Post by Hellion on Jul 6, 2016 0:45:54 GMT -5
As per usual, Swanfeather had prepared herself and Salmonclaw to venture to Moon tree. Rookfrost's all too recent appearance in their small wooded cove only made the black pointed she-cat nervous. She doubted that the tom would say anything to the other medicine cats. He knew very little of the situation, but if Ottersplash showed up, he'd like figure it out. Not much slipped bast Rookfrost. "If any of Timberstar's followers are there with Ottersplash I want you to hold your tongue," She told Salmonclaw firmly before departing out of her makeshift medicine cat den. Leopardyowl provided added security until they reached the border and well known path toward moon tree. However, she didn't feel safe even with Salmonclaw near by. Swanfeather had wanted to make it on time, but she kept her place slow in case Ottersplash was nearby. She'd prefer to arrive with the tabby tom instead of head of him. It was important the none of the other Clan's knew of what was happening. Nearing tree, Swanfeather paused quickly and Salmonclaw nearly ran into her. "We will wait here to see if Ottersplash is coming, then walk up with him," She told the tom before finding herself a place to sit and wait for now former apprentice. Amber Fawn @poptart BlooRey DVD @zen Insidious |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2016 2:28:00 GMT -5
Unease pricked at his fur as he exited his den. His eyes almost instantly drifted to Timberstar's den; worry for the aging leader's health almost kept him home this night. But a short cough from Gullswoop had Ottersplash's eyes on his escort. Gullswoop and Speckledleaf would be travelling with him tonight, and he dipped his head to the warriors in respect before slipping back into his den to fetch the bundles he had prepared earlier. He dropped the herbs at the warriors' paws, dipping his head down to eat his own batch. Once the travelling herbs were down, Ottersplash gave a last glance to Timberstar's den before leading the way to the Moon Tree. Their journey was one traveled in silence. For a while, the only sounds were their pawsteps as they followed familiar trails out of the territory and to the base of the mountains, walking along the back edge of StoneClan's territory toward the meeting place. When they neared the path that would take them up the mountain, Ottersplash slowed, catching sight of two cats ahead. The medicine cat relaxed only slightly when he recognized Swanfeather, ducking his head to her and halting. His eyes traveled nervously to Salmonclaw, and he felt Speckledleaf gently step. Ottersplash pulled his eyes back to Swanfeather, flicking his tail for her to lead, and moved to follow her and Salmonclaw up to the tree. Many of the other medicine cats had already arrived, and Ottersplash's pelt began to prickle with anxiety. These meeting always made him uncomfortable; if he was honest, any social interaction made him uncomfortable. Still, these meetings were important, and mandatory, so he just needed to find ways to survive the night. He glanced around at the cats gathered, finding himself actually making eye contact with almost all of them, save for the shadow tom who may or may not have actually been there; were cats of the Dark Forest able to walk this close to sacred lands? He shook his head slightly; it wasn't a dead cat, it was the LightningClan medicine cat, by the smell of him. The ginger she-cat next to him, though, looked almost as terrified as Ottersplash felt, and looking at her was almost like looking in a mirror. He tried to give her a little smile, but it was nervous and weak, and he quickly shifted his attention. Looking around, he noted that all but NightClan and TreeClan seemed to be in attendance; wait, scratch that. There was a small blue-grey she-cat sitting nearby that smelled of trees, but he hadn't seen her before. Of course, that meant nothing, but it did make him wonder where TreeClan's other medicine cat was. It really wasn't his concern, he decided, though he couldn't help feel a touch of worry for the blue she-cat. NightClan's complete absence was a different matter, though, and he wondered whether they would start without them or wait a bit longer. He glanced to Swanfeather, instinctively looking to her for answers, yet knowing she wouldn't have them all. Old habits die hard. @poptart, Fawn, BlooRey DVD, @zen, Insidious, Hellion |
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Post by Fawn on Jul 18, 2016 10:25:10 GMT -5
⇒Medicine Cat of LightningClan⇐
With the arrival of RainClan's medicine cats, they were nearly all in attendance with the exception of Smokefur of NightClan. Rookfrost allowed a handful of seconds to pass, before the tip of his tail gave a final, decisive twitch, and he unfurled like a shadow coming loose.
"The night will not last indefinitely." The other medicine cats would either join them late or join them for the next meeting—it mattered not to Rookfrost. His singular goal for the night was to let it pass on, like it always did, in belligerent silence as he took a nap under the roots of a tree that called into question what he understood of nature.
Horticulture, arboreal knowledge was not an area he took an interest in; the tree's unique characteristics had been a source of curiosity and bemusement in his youthful moons. But Rookfrost had lost interest. Leading the way into the chasm marking the sacred entrance to the Moon Tree's hallowed resting place, the earth swallowed him up like a shadow returning to its point of origin.
The Moon Tree was no such thing. Not for him.
Black paws came in contact with the hard, cold earth of the cavern, sending staccato echoes down the long passage, glimmers of white bark and crystalline frost lightening the darkness.
Expecting his apprentice—in all her uncoordinated youth—to tumble down after him, Rookfrost pointedly stepped aside.
He would not be landed on.
Trusting that there were no ceremonies to complete or additional discussions to be had, Rookfrost completed the short trek to the moon tree, his eyes reflecting the pale, ethereal light like glass. Ethereal. Hardly.
No wealth no ruin no silver no gold. Nothing satisfies me but your soul.
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| Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jul 20, 2016 18:07:20 GMT -5
Kindleflare's timid stare flicked to Rookfrost as the black tom spoke. She'd been in the midst of quietly observing the other Clan's medicine cats when her mentor's voice sliced through the silence. It was because of this she noticed the LightningClan medicine cat had already risen to his paws. Jumping up a little too sharply to be natural, the ginger and white she-cat quickly followed suit. It was almost a habit now. The black tom wasn't one to be kept waiting, meaning he wasn't one to wait; she'd learnt quickly that if she didn't want to get left behind, she had to keep up.
...Even while she tripped over this and that the whole way there. It seemed Rookfrost was that way with other medicine cats too; even Kindleflare picked up on the fact that NightClan wasn't in attendance just yet. Even so, Rookfrost was determined to move on as he led the way to the Moon Tree. She paused as the shadowy tom disappeared in the depth of a chasm. Swallowing hard, she peered briefly into the darkness, preparing herself for her turn. The sound of Rookfrost's paws against the ground echoed across the cavern opening, signalling his successful landing.
Inhaling sharply, Kindleflare dropped down behind her mentor. It would seem the tom knew her well enough, for his preparation were not unwarranted. Despite landing on her paws, Kindleflare managed to trip herself up, staggering forward as her front legs buckled beneath her. Sputtering slightly to dislodge the dirt that had snuck into her mouth, she scrambled to her paws as quickly as she could, hoping that no other cat had noticed. No cat other than Rookfrost, that is. She had no doubt Rookfrost had seen, or at the very least knew. But she was certain he already thought her useless.
She just didn't want to be the cause of any damage to LightningClan's image. Ducking her head slightly, Kindleflare quickly fell into line behind her mentor, despite the way her pelt fluffed up in embarrassment. |
@zen Insidious Hellion Amber @poptart |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2016 11:06:27 GMT -5
So let go, let go, jump in. Oh well, what you waiting for?
As Dawnblossom sat uncomfortably, her pale gaze flicking to Rookfrost's dark form every now and then and otherwise trying to avoid looking at him all together, a young blue-gray she-cat arrived. Dawnblossom's ears angled forward and she breathed a soft sigh of relief, dipping her head slightly to the younger cat and offering a softspoken greeting, “I'm glad you could make it, Bluejay.” She had only just met the TreeClan she-cat earlier that day when she and her daughter had travelled to TreeClan territory to collect herbs. “I will speak for you tonight, if you wish.” Unlike the other Clans, Dawnblossom had a slightly favorable opinion of TreeClan as a whole, thanks to their help in defeating StormClan upon StoneClan's return to the valley, and Bluejay seemed to live up to her expectations from what little she knew of her so far.
As Bluejay took a seat beside her, the scent of fish and water reached her on the breeze and she turned her gaze toward the RainClan medicine cats arriving. That only left Smokefur. She gave the most cursory of nods to Swanfeather by way of greeting, and managed to look a little less cold and a little more friendly when she dipped her head to Ottersplash. She was trying to give the young tom the benefit of the doubt, but she could not bring herself to give Swanfeather anything but her suspicion, unsure how much she may have had to do with the attack that drove out her Clan so many moons ago. At least she had not outright participated in the battle as Rookfrost had. She cast another glance at the dark furred tom, her fur prickling. She gave her chest fur a few quick licks, reminding herself that she was safe here.
Rookfrost's voice had her jolting in surprise and she felt heat rising under her fur, hoping no other cat had noticed. The LightningClan tom turned and began descending into the dark cavern that led to the Moon Tree and Dawnblossom stood, glancing back toward the valley. Shouldn't they wait a bit longer for Smokefur? Her tail twitched with worry, hoping the NightClan medicine cat was all right. A glance up at the moon had her hesitantly following Rookfrost and his apprentice inside, however, for he was right, the night would not last forever.
It's all right, 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown.
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